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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26062285">Like I Do</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/greywolfheir/pseuds/greywolfheir'>greywolfheir</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>The Old Guard (Movie 2020)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Enemies to Friends to Lovers, First Kiss, Historical Inaccuracy, Light Angst, M/M, Mind Reading</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-08-23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-08-23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 11:33:42</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,216</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26062285</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/greywolfheir/pseuds/greywolfheir</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>One thing about thoughts is that they’re abstract.</p><p>Or, the one where Joe and Nicky literally read each other's minds.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Joe | Yusuf Al-Kaysani/Nicky | Nicolò di Genova</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>8</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>145</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Like I Do</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Written for a prompt by tumblr user coffeeandcake96. Warning: it does end kind of sad. Also this was written all in one go when I couldn't sleep, so spare me if there are any glaring errors lol</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p> </p>
<ul>
<li><b>1129 CE</b></li>
</ul><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  <span>One thing about thoughts is that they’re abstract. Not every thought is a fully formed sentence. Some thoughts aren’t even words at all. Not just pictures, thoughts can be emotions and half-remembered senses as well.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Another thing about thoughts is that even when they </span>
  <em>
    <span>are</span>
  </em>
  <span> complete sentences, they’re usually in the language you know best.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>When Nicky and Joe first met, they didn’t know these things about thoughts. Plus they were a little busy killing each other to be having complex ideas. Therefore, pinpointing the exact moment that they began to read each other’s thoughts was a little tricky. Still, it makes sense that it was probably after their first deaths--when they started dreaming of each other and the others. Yet they both remember when they made the revelation that they could read each other’s thoughts.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was a cool night in Malta, when they still didn’t know what to think of each other. It wasn’t quite hatred anymore but not like kinship either. Andy and Quynh were inside the small shack they’d acquired on their journey, and Nicky and Joe--still Niccolo and Yusuf at the time--were trying to teach each other their home language. They’d found some commonality in Greek, but it was a language they were both rusty in, so Andy suggested they teach each other. Less of a suggestion, really, and more of a command.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They were both having civil discussions with each other, but it all went wrong because Nicky had picked up more Arabic</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Allah, help me, this man is impossible</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Impossible</span>
  </em>
  <span>?” Nicky scoffed in Greek. “As if your Italian is any better.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Here I am trying to learn your language, only to find out all you do with it is talk behind my back,” Nicky continued.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And why shouldn’t I?” Joe, who really was looking for any excuse to argue with Nicky at this point, argued back. “You </span>
  <em>
    <span>are </span>
  </em>
  <span>impossible. You’re impossible in everything you do, and Arabic is no different.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And tell me, how is your pagan god supposed to help me improve?” Nicky was clearly trying to lead this into yet more of their theological debates, but Joe blinked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I have not spoken of my god since we began this lesson,” he said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Nicky rolled his eyes “You </span>
  <em>
    <span>just </span>
  </em>
  <span>said, ‘Allah, help me, this man is impossible’.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was Joe’s turn to scoff. “I did not.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You did!” Nicky said, standing up angrily. “Do you call me a liar?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“If you think those words came out of my mouth, yes,” Joe said. “I know better than to invoke Allah’s name around you.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Nicky gestured around them, at areas devoid of people. “Then who could have </span>
  <em>
    <span>possibly</span>
  </em>
  <span> said the words that I so clearly heard.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Joe blinked. “I don’t know.” He blinked again. “Wait, what language did I speak those words?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So you admit you spoke them!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Niccolo</span>
  </em>
  <span>,” Joe warned. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Nicky huffed. “Arabic, of course.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I know many languages you do not, Niccolo,” Joe reasoned. “Why would I insult you in Arabic when I could easily insult you in those tongues?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Nicky blinked. “Because you wish me to know you insulted me, of course.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Joe shook his head. “No, unlike you, I have been biting my tongue as of late. I no longer wish to argue with you.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Then why insult me?” Nicky asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m telling you, I did not,” Joe insisted. “But I did </span>
  <em>
    <span>think</span>
  </em>
  <span> those words. Many times tonight.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Nicky scrunched up his face in confusion. “But..that’s impossible. I cannot read your thoughts.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Joe tilted his head. “Can you not? I’ve been thinking, Niccolo, about how we communicate. Even when we had not settled on Greek, we seemed to know what the other was saying. And I’ve seen you bring out food just as my stomach rumbles yet you say you’re not hungry.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Perhaps,” Nicky said slowly, “it is part of our gifts.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Perhaps,” Joe agreed. “We shall have to ask Andrea when she wakes.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p> </p>
<ul>
<li><b>1201 CE</b></li>
</ul><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was not one of the gifts they shared with Andy and Quynh, they soon learned. The pair had been confused after they brought it up, though Nicky and Joe both knew the truth before they asked. Andy and Quynh shared a bond, yes, but it was different from Nicky and Joe’s. Besides, neither of the two men had felt any sort of bond beyond their immortality towards the women.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Still, it was odd, having this revelation. They tested the bounds as much as possible. Could they read each other’s thoughts from a far distance? Could they send messages to each other through thought alone? At what point did their own thoughts end and the other’s begin?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>As it turned out, the only time they couldn’t feel the other’s presence in their minds was during their temporary deaths. Having killed each other together so many times, Nicky was caught off-guard once when Joe, who had fallen behind to engage his attacker in battle, screamed loudly and fell from his horse.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Nicky felt the connection between their minds snap almost like it was a physical force. He nearly faced his own end in a similar manner from the shock of it. Joe experienced a similar fate when Nicky was captured in an alleyway by criminals who intended to steal his money. He’d barely been able to explain what had happened to Andy and Quynh as disoriented as he felt.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Since those deaths, they’d been able to figure out exactly which part of their mind belonged to the other, and indeed they were able to communicate solely through thought. It aggravated Andy which amused Quynh. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Through the course of learning these things about their new ability, Joe and Nicky had begun to trust each other more. How could they not, knowing what the other was thinking nearly all moments of the day? Moreso, however, they began to actually enjoy the other’s company. If they were being honest with themselves, they would have admitted to more, but they were also in each other’s heads so they couldn’t quite be honest with themselves.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Still, Andy and Quynh watched them dance around each other, not seeing what the other was so clearly thinking even though they could literally their minds. It just so happened on one fateful day that the two women had to go out, leaving Nicky and Joe to their own devices. Nicky was preparing dinner in the farmhouse they all shared while Joe bathed. Nicky had just left to get an egg from the chickens outside, only to come back to the sight of an entirely naked man.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>There were three things that occurred to Nicky in that moment. One was that he had seen Joe naked before, many times. Two was that he hadn’t cared enough to actually </span>
  <em>
    <span>look</span>
  </em>
  <span> at Joe. Three was that he enjoyed the way Joe looked naked. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Before Nicky could cut the last thought out of his mind, it had already passed to Joe, along with the subsequent thoughts of what Nicky wanted to </span>
  <em>
    <span>do </span>
  </em>
  <span>with a naked Joe.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Before Joe could respond, Nicky blinked several times and tilted his head away from the sight of the man before him. He was halfway to the kitchen, when Joe caught his arm.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It was just a thought, Yusuf,” Nicky said firmly, but he allowed Joe to turn him around, staunchly </span>
  <em>
    <span>not</span>
  </em>
  <span> looking down. “I apologize.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You have no need to apologize, Niccolo,” Joe said softly. “I’ve had many similar thoughts while you sleep.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Nicky’s now-wide eyes met Joe’s.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Only,” Joe continued, “I had never dreamed I would see them returned.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Nicky blinked and backed away. “They are not.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Joe simply looked at Nicky.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“They are </span>
  <em>
    <span>not</span>
  </em>
  <span>.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Joe lifted his hand from Nicky’s arm and held it up in surrender.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>That winter, they faced a cold night, and Nicky shivered in his bedroll. They’d had to leave the farmhouse and were now in a secluded cave. Nicky sat up to look for more clothing to cover himself with, when he was faced with Joe, holding out his blanket to Nicky.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Don’t be ridiculous, you’ll freeze,” Nicky huffed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Not if we share it,” Joe offered.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Nicky wanted to protest, but sitting up had exposed him to the cold, so he merely nodded and allowed Joe to place the blanket over both of them. They lay there for a moment, facing each other. It had been months since the incident, and Joe had slowly begun to send thoughts similar to Nicky’s errant one towards the man. It was nothing too shocking, and it was gently enough that Nicky sometimes wasn’t sure Joe was aware he was doing it. Perhaps he wasn’t. But it made Nicky blush and stalk away every time.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Nic--” Joe began, lifting his hand toward Nicky’s face.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Don’t,” Nicky snapped. “Please, Yusuf, now is not the time.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Then when would you like to discuss it?” Joe asked. “Because I wish to discuss this before we have frozen to death.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We would recover,” Nicky pointed out.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Joe rolled his eyes. “You know my meaning.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“How long?” Nicky asked suddenly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“How long have you had these...thoughts towards me?” Nicky asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Joe shook his head. “I cannot remember the date. Only that I began to dream of your eyes. And your lips. And--”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Enough</span>
  </em>
  <span>,” Nicky snapped again. He’d picked up on exactly what Joe’s dreams consisted of, though, so it was too late.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Why do you resist so?” Joe asked. “Allah knows we’ve gotten past our differences long ago.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Nicky tried to come up with a good reason. The problem was, they had already discussed all of them in one way or another. That Nicky was a priest? He had left the cloth behind many years ago. That they were both men? They both knew their preferences leaned towards men and this did not bother them as much as it should. That they were of differing faiths? That was an argument settled long ago. Which only left…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Joe laughed in surprise more than anything else. “You are scared?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Quiet, you’ll wake the others,” Nicky huffed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Niccolo, please, how can a man who cannot die fear love so?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We still hurt,” Nicky pointed out dejectedly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Joe put his fingers below Nicky’s chin and lifted his face up so they could look each other in the eyes. “I promise you, I mean you no harm. Not anymore.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Can you make a promise like that for as long as we both live?” Nicky asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Can you?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Fair point. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We take these risks when we decide to love, Niccolo,” Joe said. “It is the whole point.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I have never,” Nicky swallowed thickly and began again. “I have never been with anyone before.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I know,” Joe said, pressing his forehead to Nicky’s, still looking him in the eyes. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Neither of them would be sure, years later, who moved first to press their lips together, but when thoughts are as intertwined as theirs, does it really matter?</span>
</p><p> </p><p> </p>
<ul>
<li><b>2020 CE</b></li>
</ul><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Centuries later, they both kept a promise they never made, and began to fight as one entity. Yes, they experienced pain, but never from each other, and their family had grown. Nile, in particular, had been an interesting addition.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Wait, so you’re telling me you and Nicky can actually read each other’s minds?” Nile asks. “Like X-Men style?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Joe nods and smiles over at Nicky. They were all at dinner one day when it happens to come up in conversation.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Do we all get special powers--beyond, you know, the healing?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Andy shakes her head. “Joe and Nicky are different.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Can you show me?” Nile asks.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s not some parlor trick,” Andy argues but Joe puts a hand on her arm.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sure, write down a number and show it to me,” he says. “I’ll have Nicky say it out loud.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It’s a year that Nile writes down. One that Joe and Nicky remember very well.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Nicky sighs and rolls his eyes. “1738.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Nile’s eyes widen and they know she’s impressed. “What happened in 1738?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You don’t want them to answer that,” Andy insists.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You were not there, Andy,” Nicky laughs. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No but anything that makes you two make those faces at each other is something Nile does </span>
  <em>
    <span>not</span>
  </em>
  <span> want to know.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Fair enough,” Joe agrees with a smile.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It’s a small family, but a good one. They may be missing a member but they will get him back in time. For now, they enjoy their family as it is. </span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p> </p>
<ul>
<li><b>Sometime in the future</b></li>
</ul><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It wouldn’t be a wound that told them of their fading abilities. Nicky would be the first to know. He was always the lighter sleeper. He would wake one day with no connection to Joe’s mind. Thinking they had been attacked in their sleep, Nicky would shoot up in bed, ready to attack whoever had killed his love, only to find Joe beside him, slowly waking from a deep slumber that Nicky had disturbed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Joe,” Nicky would whisper, “what happened to your thoughts?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I have them, Nicky. What happened to yours?” Joe would answer. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“If they are gone from your mind, I’m afraid I know what is happening,” Nicky said sadly, causing Joe to wake up fully. “It is our time, my love.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Joe would blink and put a hand to Nicky’s cheek. “So it is.”</span>
</p>
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